This invention relates to a fluid reservoir having a wiper (or, “membrane” or “seal”).
A commercial fluid container has a fluid reservoir for storing a fluid. There may be an inserter provided with the fluid container to check its fluid level in the case of an oil reservoir for a vehicle or to distribute fluid from the container in the case of a mascara bottle. For these commercial products, the inserter is left in the reservoir for convenience. Due to the viscosity of fluid, fluid will tend to collect on the inserter and may interfere with the accurate measurement of fluid or the controlled distribution of fluid. It may be desirable to withdraw the inserter and wipe it clean of fluid prior to measuring or applying the fluid. This may be inconvenient, messy as well as wasteful.
For example, a dip stick, is used to measure oil in an oil pan or, more broadly, an oil reservoir of a vehicle. Typically, the dip stick remains inserted in a housing that is connected to the oil reservoir. The dip stick will typically have some markings, which serve to reflect the level of oil in the reservoir. During normal operation of the vehicle, oil will splash onto the dip stick at points that do not accurately reflect the oil level. When the oil level is checked, the dip stick is removed from the housing and is typically wiped clean with a cloth. The dip stick is then reinserted into the housing and then removed again to read the oil level, which then provides an accurate reflection of the oil level in the reservoir.
This technique for checking the oil level in a vehicle has its drawbacks. Specifically, the technique is messy. One must have ready some way to wipe the dip stick clean, which is typically a cloth, paper towel or rag. Also, the cloth or such used to wipe the dip stick must be thrown away because it is difficult or impractical to clean, both wasting the cloth and causing the inconvenience of its disposal. Oil is also wasted because oil on the dip stick is left on the cloth rather than returned to the oil reservoir.
There have been efforts to simplify this process. Electronic systems exist that measure the level of oil in the vehicle. However, these systems are often unreliable or expensive. In addition, they normally only indicate if the level is low, not how low or how much oil is required to reach the proper level. Manual systems also exist that include wiping mechanisms on the housing. Although preferable to wiping the dip stick with a rag, these assemblies may be complicated, awkward to use or expensive.
Another example of a commercial fluid container relates to the application and measure of a liquid, such as mascara and the like, housed in a bottle, including a brush or other applicator means, whereby the user may decide a predetermined amount of liquid on the applicator.
As relates to the cosmetic industry, mascara is a standard manner in which eyes are decorated and enhanced by its application on eyelashes. Common in most all mascara products is a elongated enclosed bottle which includes a cap. Attached to the cap is typically a brush which descends the depth of the housing. Within the housing is an amount of mascara liquid.
Because of the viscous nature of the mascara liquid, the brush would exit the bottle fully (and unevenly) loaded with mascara, making it impractical for application to fine eyelashes. To address this problem, most cosmetic companies insert a rubber type plug into the opening of the housing. This plug itself has an opening, typically around 4 mm, which corresponds to the width of the brush. Ideally, upon removal of the brush from the housing, by passing through the opening in the plug the brush will have a pre-determined contact with the opening with the goal that the same amount of mascara will exit with the brush with each removal.
The problem with this system is that a compromise amount of mascara must be determined upon design and production. The opening is non-adjustable and therefore the user cannot increase or decrease the amount of mascara on the brush. The cosmetic company determines a single measure as the middle ground amount and the opening corresponds to that amount.
If the user should desire a larger amount of mascara, it would not be possible to obtain a fully loaded brush with the one-size-fits-all opening. Nor, if so desired, can the user obtain a lesser amount of mascara on the brush without using a tissue to manually wipe off the brush.
Another problem is that mascara typically coagulates over time and after repeated use, as with air entering the housing, the liquid loses water content, becoming more viscous. The opening which may have suited new free flowing mascara may no longer suit older thicker mascara and undesired clumps of mascara may remain on the applicator.
To remove this unwanted mascara, a user may wipe the applicator with a tissue before its application. However, as a consequence of this design, the user must carry a tissue or other wipe for the applicator, wipe the applicator, and then later dispose of the wipe after its use. These steps are inconvenient for the user. Moreover, excess mascara is simply wasted. Given the relatively high cost of mascara, it would be preferable to keep this excess mascara in the bottle until needed.
Additionally, this older thicker mascara, reduced in volume, may more readily stick to the sides of the housing, making it impossible for the brush to angle to reach it due to the restrictive nature of the plug opening. The undesired result is an unsatisfactory percentage of mascara remaining beyond the reach of the brush and so requiring the user to dispose of the product before it is actually fully used.
Similar problems exist with other cosmetic fluids, such as lip gloss and nail polish, both of which also employ an applicator which obtains the cosmetic fluid from a bottle.
A need therefore exists for a fluid reservoir assembly that allows for the adjustment of the amount of cosmetic fluid a which remains on the applicator upon exiting the bottle.
Further, certain types of fluid reservoir assemblies, particularly cosmetics bottles, house mascara and other like fluids, and include an applicator, or brush. These bottles may include a seal, or wiper, and may allow a user to adjust the seal to control the amount of fluid carried out of the bottle by the brush. Other types of bottles, particularly those used in the medical and food industry, include seals primarily to act as a convenient non-drip dispenser of a product.